The last draig, p.1
The Last Draig, page 1
J.D. Linton
The Last Draig
Copyright © 2023 by J.D. Linton
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
First edition
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Editing by Natalie Cammaratta
Cover art by MoonPress Designs | www.moonpress.co
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To those who prefer to read stories that hurt because it allows you to cry for pain other than your own.
Contents
Preface
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
About the Author
Also by J.D. Linton
Preface
CONTENT WARNING
The Last Draig is a fantasy romance based in a fictional realm and while fun, the story contains elements that may not be suitable for some readers — Explicit sexual content, anxiety, panic attacks, profanity, physical and mental abuse from a parent (in the form of flashbacks), suicide, kidnapping, drugging, mutilation, loss of a loved one, and violence (blood, war, death).
Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.
Pronunciation Guide
Ara Starrin: Ar-ah Star-in
Rogue Draki: Row-g Drah-key
Doran: Door-in
Thana: Than-ah
Alden: All-din
Iaso: Eye-ah-so
Elora: Eh-lor-ah
Delphia: Dell-fee-uh
Ewan: Eh-win
Correnyk: Cor-ri-nick
Orrys/Rys: Or-ris/Reece
Adonis: Ah-dawn-is
Adon: Ay-din
Adrastus: Ah-drah-stus
Vaelor: Vah-ler
Auryna: Or-rye-nuh
Ravaryn: Rav-are-in
Chapter One
Ara
Rogue blinked, and something flickered behind his luminous eyes—a flicker of something…else. Something primal.
Animalistic.
My breath hitched, and he blinked again, his eyes returning to their normal maroon. I shuffled toward him as he staggered to his desk. His knuckles gripped the wood so hard, they turned white as he groaned.
“Rogue?” I gently placed a hand on his shoulder, careful not to touch the split skin revealing his newly-found scales.
His face swiveled to me. “Don’t. I don’t want to…” He scrunched his eyes, gritting his teeth as the wood splintered beneath his palms. “Get back!”
I stumbled back a few steps, my breaths leaving me in shaky cries.
With a blood-curdling scream, he jerked, his spine bowing as his arms stretched out to either side. I gasped as a snap rang through the room, echoed by another cry. The clouds of smoke around us thickened instantly, blurring out his form, leaving only his silhouette illuminated by the hazy daylight shining through his bedroom window.
My hands flew to my ears at the sound of crunching bones, but not even that could shield me from his screams, the agony in his voice. Tears spilled from my eyes, my body trembling as my legs threatened to give way beneath me.
I choked on my own sob as I watched, unable to tear my eyes away. His form twisted and grew with each broken bone, shifting into something entirely different. His wings doubled, tripled, quadrupled in size.
They just kept growing.
He kept growing, filling the room from floor to ceiling.
My feet shuffled back until my back pressed against the wall, my heart pounding painfully as nausea rolled in my gut.
After what felt like an eternity, it all stopped—the noises, the movement, the air.
Everything stilled, frozen in anticipation.
Then, the enormous shape moved. The smoke cleared, just enough for me to see two glowing eyes peering back at me, the same glowing fiery eyes I had seen moments before, but this…
This was not Rogue.
There was no recognition in his gaze. He didn’t see me.
The smoke dissipated, revealing a Draig in all his glory.
My lips parted as chills erupted over my body.
Where tanned skin had once been, shining red-black scales now armored him from head to toe. His slitted eyes bored into me as I studied his face—elongated with the same armored skin. Black, razor-sharp spikes protruded from his cheekbones, following up and around his head, growing larger as they trailed down his spine between his leathery wings. Each knuckle was now tipped with a curved claw.
His arms had shifted into legs, and he stood on four now instead of two.
He took a step toward me, and the sound of claws scraping the floor filled the heavy silence between us. As he inched closer, I pushed back into the wall, turning my cheek to the cool stone as his snout nuzzled my hair roughly, sniffing.
He nudged me again, harder this time, nearly knocking me from my feet.
“Rogue,” I whispered.
His eyes flickered again, only slightly, before hardening. A growl reverberated from his chest as sparks lit his throat, illuminating the red scales from the inside.
“Rogue,” I repeated.
His head snapped toward the window, like he hadn’t even heard me this time. He stilled as if listening to something before taking a step back, and then another.
“Rogue, wait.” I stepped toward him as my eyes brimmed with tears. He didn’t even acknowledge me—not my voice, not as I followed him, not as I reached for whatever I could, my fingers sliding down the massive scales of his tail. Nothing. “Wait. W-Wait, please.”
With a few more steps, he leaped from the window, shattering it with minimal effort. The wall around the edges crumbled, pieces tumbling to the sea below.
“Rogue!” I ran the remaining steps to the window and skidded to a stop before tipping over the ledge. I watched through blurred eyes as he coasted down the cliff face and across the ocean, casting his massive shadow over its choppy waters.
He flew north, silent tears sliding down my cheeks as he became smaller and smaller, moving farther and farther away until he was nothing but a dot above the horizon.
Then, he was gone.
Rogue was gone.
Lost.
* * *
My feet were frozen for far longer than I should’ve allowed, but I just kept staring at the horizon, looking but not seeing.
A knock on the door sounded, and I didn’t bother turning around as Iaso rushed in.
“I saw him.” She slowed as she entered. “He…He…”
“He’s gone.” The words were a whisper on my breath, but saying them aloud broke something in me, destroying the flimsy floodgates holding back sobs. I fell to my knees as my body was wracked, and a cry sounded from deep within my chest. “He’s gone. He’s gone. He—”
Her hands were on me in an instant; warmth flooded from her palms as she wrapped her arms around me.
“What happened, child?”
“I marked him. I-I—” I couldn’t force the words from my mouth as another wail escaped me. My fault. Always my fault.
My fault.
“Ah…”
I pulled back to peek up at her. “Why? Why did this happen? What could…” The realization flooded me before I could finish the sentence.
I marked him, just as he had marked me. Our magic, both bound and gagged, both released by the claim.
“I marked him,” I breathed.
She sighed, shaking her head. “It makes sense. Your curse prevented your magic and he broke that with a mate mark. The curse must have mingled with your bond…been sent down the bond to Rogue. That would explain why he couldn’t shift when he was thirteen. That…” Her voice shook, and she inhaled deeply, rubbing her forehead as her eyes darted about. “I…”
Her eyes widened a fraction before she averted her gaze, an audible breath leaving her as she slumped at the shoulders. My heart sank with understanding.
“Hey, no,” I whispered. “No, no, no. Don’t do that.”
She nodded forcibly, but the look on her face gave away the panic spiraling behind her eyes.
“That… That is something we don’t have time to dwell on right now. I…” Her eyes pricked with tears as she lifted them to meet mine. “I did that.” She motioned to her neck. “If I hadn’t—then that wouldn’t—”
She choked, a tear slipping from her eye. Her breathing quickened as she fell back and braced her hands on the floor behind her.
“Iaso, no. If you hadn’t placed the spell, I wouldn’t even be here. You saved my life. Please, don’t. Rogue wouldn’t blame you. You know that,” I said, reaching forward to brush the curls from her face, desperately wishing I could calm her in the same way she did for others.
Still, I did all I could. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly as she collapsed on my shoulder, sobbing.
My heart broke for her, and I squeezed tighter, placing a hand on the back of her head.
“It is not your fault, Iaso. It’s not.”
She tensed.
“Yes. Yes, it is.” She pulled back, wiping her cheeks. “But that is something I will deal with later. Alone.”
“Iaso—”
“No. Thank you for being a friend, for letting me do… that.” She rose to her feet as her gaze bounced around the room, landing anywhere but on me. “We need to focus on Rogue. We need… We need to talk to the rest of the group, let them know what’s happened.”
I remained seated as she wrung her hands, blinking rapidly.
“Iaso,” I said quietly.
Her gaze returned to me, her face tight, barely holding the emotion back. She shook her head once, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
I dropped my eyes, nodding as I stood.
“Let’s go.” She strode to the door without another word.
I glanced out the window one more time. There was nothing but a crying, cloudy sky and a choppy ocean accepting its tears. No Rogue in sight.
Biting back tears of my own, I sighed and followed behind her.
As we neared the library, Commander Correnyk Lee entered through the front door with Ewan right behind him, laughing and shaking out his hair, wet from the rain. Lee was Doran’s next in command and had unofficially taken his place since his passing, maintaining order and training within the remaining army but unwilling to claim the title of General—not that anyone had pushed him to. I don’t think anyone was truly ready to accept that the position was even open. Not yet.
While Lee towered over Ewan, he was leaner with brown skin, hazel eyes, and dark hair cropped short.
Lee clapped Ewan on the shoulder, and Ewan looked past him, finding us. His face lit up before his eyes darted to Iaso, and the smile slid from his face at her expression.
He climbed the stairs two at a time, Lee right behind him. “What—”
She dipped her head toward the library, and he nodded discreetly in response.
We found Alden in his office, poring over a thick, leather-bound tome as usual. His long, white hair was pulled back in a braid, his glasses on the tip of his nose.
His eyes lifted to us, landing on me. My expression must have been grave because his grew serious as he pulled his glasses off and closed the book.
They all looked to me to explain. A heartbeat passed. Another. I opened my mouth to speak but froze. My throat was still tight with tears, and I knew if I spoke the words again, they would fall and never stop.
I blinked rapidly, inhaling deeply when Iaso placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Rogue has shifted.”
“Shifted? Into a dragon?” Ewan asked. “I thought he couldn’t shift.”
“He couldn’t,” Alden answered. “How…”
“I claimed him.” I lifted my chin. “I marked him, and it broke whatever piece of my curse remained over him.”
Alden’s eyes darted to Iaso, and her shaky inhale was audible.
He nodded, running a hand over his chin. “So, where is he now? I’m assuming by the lack of destruction that he’s left?”
“Destruction? Why…” The lack of recognition in his eyes. It—He—“He’s not in there, is he?”
My heart raced, my chest constricting. My hand rubbed at my sternum, willing it to slow before I imploded.
“Oh, he is. He’s just…lost for now,” Iaso said, sitting in the chair behind her. She propped an elbow on the armrest and rested her head in her palm. “The first shift is…hard, painful, and confusing, especially when they don’t have an elder to guide them.”
“Right now, the animal instincts of a dragon have taken complete control. It is that way with all Draigs on their first shift until they’re brought back. Once Rogue regains consciousness, he won’t lose it again, but usually, Draigs have an elder walk them through and bring them back. I don’t know how we will be able to do that.”
“I’ll bring him back,” I said, my voice laced with a finality that weighed over the room.
Iaso nodded, her expression unreadable.
“I hate to be the one to say this,” Lee said hesitantly, “but if he’s lost in there, if he doesn’t realize what he’s doing, how do we know he will come back?”
My gaze locked on his face. That wasn’t something I’d considered, and the question sent me down a panicked spiral.
Air evaded me. My chest rose and fell quickly to no avail, and I could feel another attack threatening to consume me as my throat closed, my mind black and empty.
My hand slid up to my throat as it tightened. I was choking. I—
My fingers grazed across the tiny marks at the base of my neck.
The mirror to his.
“I marked him,” I whispered. “I marked him. I can find him, right? I could find him.”
I closed my eyes, trying to feel something, feel him.
It was different than sending out the feelers of my magic. It wasn’t me reaching out at all; it was a call, and I was its answer. A beacon—just as he said. A distant lighthouse, shining only for me.
My heart raced as I felt his form, still flying north.
So far north.
“I can feel him.” My eyes snapped open to find their hopeful expressions.
“Where?” Iaso asked in a rush.
“North. That’s all I can tell. He’s still moving.”
“North?” Alden asked. “I don’t know of any land north of Draig Hearth.”
Iaso shook her head as she spoke. “Neither do I. Maybe a few scattered islands like the ones off our coast?”
Ewan shrugged. “Either way, no matter where or how far we need to go, I can have my ship prepared if you wish to follow, Ara.”
I looked to Iaso, Alden, and Lee.
They were looking at me, waiting for my answer.
I took a deep breath to settle my nerves and nodded.
“Yes.” I paused as my thoughts gained momentum. “Yes. I’m assuming your ship is in Nautia?” He nodded. “Have it sent here.”
“It can be ready to sail within the next hour and will reach Draig Hearth’s dock by the end of day tomorrow,” Ewan said.
“All right, then. We’ll give him the night and tomorrow to return. If he doesn’t…” My gaze shifted from one face to the next. “We set sail after him.”
Chapter Two
Ara
My mind reeled as Alden walked out Iaso, Ewan, and Lee, leaving only me in the study.
The silence opened the door for panic, and I was desperately fighting to regain control of my own body, even as my lungs burned, my heart raced, and my thoughts wouldn’t form. Panic was a vicious, sadistic beast that my body had an incredibly hard time fighting off, but I had practice. As Alden taught my mother and she taught me, we looked for things calmer than we were.
My eyes darted around Alden’s small office and landed on the clock. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The sound, while normally irritating, was oddly comforting in this moment—something steady I could focus on, if nothing else.
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard as I clutched the chair’s arms. They were made of a solid, unyielding wood, smooth and cool beneath my palms.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
I took another deep breath.
“We’ll find him,” Alden said as he stepped back into the office. I jumped, pulled from my shrinking world of hysteria, and nodded. He hesitated before extending an elbow to me. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
I glanced up at him and stood, sliding my hand into the crook of his arm. I paused, focusing on the feel of his warm, skinny arm, clothed in the soft fabric of his robe. He was steady—my third and final thing calmer than me in my pursuit of peace.
